Redevelopment of Norris University Center’s East Lawn to begin this summer
April 5, 2024
Actors Simon Russell Beale, Gillian Anderson, Lily James, Helen Mirren and Benedict Cumberbatch helm the latest round of National Theatre Live events presented by Northwestern University’s Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts.
Now in its 8th season on campus, Wirtz Center’s Stage on Screen series presents National Theatre Live’s broadcasts of world-class theater to be screened in cinemas in the U.K. and internationally. Screenings run April 13 to June 19 at the Josephine Louis Theater, 1949 Campus Drive on the Evanston Campus.
Upcoming events include:
National Theatre Live: “The Tragedy of King Richard the Second”
April 13 at 2 p.m.
Simon Russell Beale plays William Shakespeare’s Richard II, broadcast live from the stage of the Almeida Theatre in London. This visceral new production, directed by Joe Hill-Gibbons examines the limits of power. Richard II, King of England, is irresponsible, foolish and vain. His weak leadership sends his kingdom into disarray and his court into uproar. Seeing no other option but to seize power, the ambitious Bolingbroke challenges the throne and the king’s divine right to rule.
National Theatre Live: “All About Eve”
June 8 at 7 p.m. and June 9 at 2 p.m.
“All About Eve” tells the story of legendary theater star Margo Channing. The spotlight has always been hers. But now there’s young, beautiful Eve. Channing’s biggest fan. “But you know all about Eve…don’t you…?”
Lifting the curtain on a world of jealousy and ambition, this new production featuring Gillian Anderson and Lily James, asks why our fascination with celebrity, youth and identity never seems to get old.
“All About Eve” is adapted and directed by Ivo van Hove (“Network,” NT Live: “A View from the Bridge”) from the 1950 film by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and based on the play “The Wisdom of Eve” by Mary Orr.
National Theatre Live Encore Series: “The Audience”
June 15 at 7 p.m. and June 16 at 2 p.m.
Helen Mirren reprises her Academy Award-winning role as Queen Elizabeth II in encore screenings of the original West End production of Peter Morgan’s “The Audience,” directed by Stephen Daldry. The original broadcast from 2013 returns to international cinemas to mark National Theatre Live’s 10th birthday. For 60 years, Queen Elizabeth II has met with each of her 12 prime ministers in a private weekly meeting known as “The Audience.” No one knows what they discuss, not even their spouses. From the old warrior Winston Churchill, to the Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher, up through David Cameron, the Queen advises her prime ministers on all matters, both public and personal. Through these private audiences, we see glimpses of the woman behind the crown and witness the moments that shaped a monarch.
National Theatre Live Encore Series: “Hamlet”
June 19 at 7 p.m. and June 23 at 2 p.m.
Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC’s “Sherlock,” “Doctor Strange”) plays the title role in William Shakespeare’s great tragedy, directed by Lindsey Turner and produced by Sonia Friedman. The original broadcast returns to international cinemas to mark National Theatre Live’s 10th birthday.
As a country arms itself for war, a family tears itself apart. Forced to avenge his father’s death but paralyzed by the task ahead, Hamlet rages against the impossibility of his predicament, threatening both his sanity and the security of the state.
Tickets for Wirtz Center’s Stage on Screen events are $20 general admission and $10 for students with valid ID. Tickets are available on the Wirtz Center website, by phone at 847-491-7282 or in-person at the Wirtz Center box office, located in the lobby of the Ethel M. Barber Theater, 30 Arts Circle Drive.
Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. The box office is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
The Wirtz Center is a member of the Northwestern Arts Circle, which brings together film, humanities, literary arts, music, theater, dance and visual arts.
